Figure 4. CD44^hi IPF MPCs display increased expression of pluripotency markers and greater self-renewal capacity.

(A) Oct3/4, Nanog, and Sox2 expression was quantified in nuclear fractions of CD44^{hi and lo} IPF MPCs by qPCR (left panel) and Western Blot analysis (middle panel). Densitometry values summarizing Western blot data in right panel B. Self-renewal was quantified in an anchorage-independent colony-forming assay. (C and D) CD44 was knocked down in CD44^hi IPF MPCs using CD44 shRNA (CD44-shRNA). Scrambled shRNA (Scr-shRNA) served as control. Oct3/4, Nanog, and Sox2 expression were quantified by qPCR (left panel) and Western Blot analysis (middle panel). Densitometry values summarizing Western blot data in right panel C. Self-renewal was assessed in the colony-forming assay (D). For C and D, IPF 422 and IPF424 were used. All data are shown as mean ± SEM; n ≥ 3 independent experiments for each condition or group except the Western blot is from a single experiment representative of 2 independently conducted replicates. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. P values were determined by 2-tailed Student’s t test.